D'Ambrosio replaces banned Grosjean for Lotus F1 at Monza

Lotus F1 has confirmed that reserve driver Jerome D'Ambrosio will replace the suspended Romain Grosjean at Monza this weekend. Grosjean was suspended for his actions in Sunday's race in Belgium that stewards said led to the dramatic first-lap crash that knocked several contenders out of the race.

On Tuesday, the team put the news of D'Ambrosio's selection in the media section of its website for a brief time before quickly withdrawing it for unknown reasons, although not before some quotes began circulating on the Internet.

Although the team could have taken someone else—even a driver with sponsorship—there was never any real doubt about D'Ambrosio getting the job, given that he is part of the Genii Group family. Last year, he started 19 races with Marussia Virgin Racing and finished just 24th in the points.

Running at Monza for Lotus will give the 26-year-old Belgian a unique chance to showcase his talent in a car that has earned nine podiums this year.

D'Ambrosio's only previous experience with the E20 car came when he drove 40 laps at the Mugello test on May 1.

Team boss Eric Boullier said: “When we signed Jerome as our third driver, we signed a man who is highly motivated, fresh, talented and who contested the full 2011 season. We hope that this will pay dividends when he drives the car this weekend in Monza. We know that Jerome is well integrated into the team and that he did a good job when he drove the E20 at the Mugello test.

“Now he has the challenge of a Grand Prix at the challenging circuit of Monza, in a car which is capable of finishing on the podium. One thing is for sure, he's half Italian and I think I know which driver the spectators will support apart from Fernando! It's a tough task for Jerome, but we will be supporting him in every way to achieve a good result.”

D'Ambrosio added: “My desire for 2012 has always been to get back into the seat of a Formula 1 car, so I am grabbing this opportunity with both hands. Monza is a fantastic circuit, and I can't wait to take to the track on Friday. As third driver, I have worked with the team at every Grand Prix, attending all the briefings and meetings that the race drivers do, so I am well prepared in this respect. Monza is a superb circuit, but it is also quite a technical one, so I am not underestimating the task ahead of me.

“I want to reward the faith that the team has in me with a good haul of points from the race. I will hand the wheel back to Romain after Sunday's race, and I hope that this one showing in Italy will allow me to show my capabilities fully.”